


This Mess Is Yours, Your Mess Is Mine

by Skyson



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Evil Plans, F/M, Flirting, Kidnapping, Marriage, PDA, Secret Base, not a Grant Ward friendly fic, not-secret secret relationship, skoulsonfest2k15redux, storage room conversations, thwarting evil plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 09:44:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4430549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyson/pseuds/Skyson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world knows about people with powers, Talbot and Coulson have to make a deal, Ward has evil plans.</p><p>(Written for Skoulson RomFest 2k15 Redux, prompts used: love in the time of Hydra, free theme)</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Mess Is Yours, Your Mess Is Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Un-Beta'd and finished in a bit of a rush, so apologies for any mistakes.
> 
> Also, there's more foul language in this one than what I tend to usually write.

"Come here," Coulson took her hand and dragged her toward the door.

"What? Oh, no, not this room again." Skye complained, but allowed him to pull her into the storage room and shut the door. He approached her space, standing right in front of her and looking her in the eye.

"So." He said, and after a beat of silence she replied,

"So...?"

"What do you want?" He asked softly. She looked at him for a long moment.

"I want... To not be a secret." She admitted. He nodded, and smiled carefully at her.

"Okay," he said, "let's not be a secret." She smiled tentatively.

"Okay."

They looked at one another for a long moment, and just as they leaned in toward one another, there was a frantic knocking at the door. Coulson sighed with annoyance, and Skye rolled her eyes. He stepped back to get the door but she reached for his arm to stop him, brushing by him to open it herself.

"What is it?" She demanded, finding Hunter and Billy standing in the hall.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but Hunter said it was important," Billy apologized quickly, looking more at Coulson.

"Hunter?" Coulson greeted carefully, and Hunter nodded toward him.

"Director." He glanced at Skye momentarily. "Skye." He looked back at Coulson and raised his eyebrow. "Everybody cozy?" Coulson narrowed his eyes and Hunter swallowed. "Good. Director,if you don't mind, I've got something you're gonna want to see." Coulson glanced momentarily at Skye, silently promising her that they would discuss more later, and followed Hunter out of the room.

"When did you get back?" Coulson asked as they walked together toward his office.

"About five minutes ago. I wanted you to see this as soon as possible," Hunter messed with the tablet in his hands as Coulson held the door open for him to enter the office ahead of him.

"Bring it up on the screen," Coulson gestured, and Hunter swiped his hand across the tablet and toward the back wall of the office.

"It's security footage, of Skye," Hunter explained as they watched a few dark forms move about on the screen. Coulson frowned and stepped closer to the screen.

"You can hardly make anything out,"

"Just keep watching," Hunter said gravely, and a few moments later they watched as Skye thrust her hand forward and sent a man flying across the room. Coulson whistled quietly, impressed with her powers and with her hand-to-hand combat ability.

"Is this public?" Coulson asked, seeing her face clearly for a few moments.

"Not yet, Sir." Hunter told him, and Coulson turned toward him. "The building was abandoned by the time my team had reached it, except for a folder that included a copy of this video, and a note from Ward. He's threatened to give this to Talbot and send the dogs after us."

"Dammit," Coulson breathed, looking back toward the screen. This video didn't show that Skye had been defending her life - it looked like _she_ was the bad guy, and worse, it looked like she was working with Ward, whom everyone knew at this point to be a new head of Hydra.

"With all of this debate going on about powered people lately, he could blow the lid on our whole operation. Powered people in SHIELD, going rogue? _We_ know she's loyal, but the public isn't going to see that. They've barely started trusting SHIELD again as it is - this would be chaotic." Hunter continued worriedly.

"What does he want?" Coulson growled, knowing Grant Ward always wanted something.

"He said he would call." Hunter informed him carefully.

"Dammit!" Coulson hissed, quickly closing his fist at the screen to close out the video window.

"I don't know why you keep giving this guy second chances, Boss. If I get the shot, I'm putting a bullet between his eyes." Hunter said seriously, and Coulson clenched his jaw. "After the things he did to Bobbi? Don't you want revenge for what he'd done to Skye?" Hunter asked incredulously, and then looked a bit taken aback by the expression on Coulson's face.

"Don't worry. He's not getting any more second chances from me."

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


"Brigadier General Talbot," Coulson greeted to the man on the screen, somewhat mockingly.

"Director Coulson," Talbot replied carefully. They had a very tenuous working relationship, and Talbot still hated his guts.

"As the old saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I'm hoping you still have some agreement with that?" Coulson folded his hands together in front of him, giving the appearance of complete calm. He was anything but, and hoped Talbot couldn't see the sheen of sweat starting to form along his hairline.

"I have a feeling you're talking about Hydra," Talbot said dryly, "and you know that I agree with you." He glanced slightly downward. "How's the hand?" Coulson appreciated that he attempted to reign in most of his disdain, stilled appalled about Coulson having emergency surgery via axe.

"It's improving. FitzSimmons tells me they'll have some sort of new skin for it in the next few weeks." Coulson replied, holding up his robotic hand and flexing the - his - fingers. "Ward is becoming a serious issue." Coulson got to the point, returning to his previous position. Talbot scoffed.

"Grant Ward has _always_ been a serious issue, Coulson. It's not _my_ fault you refuse to admit when one of your own has gone rogue." Talbot's words sent an icy chill down Coulson's spine.

"According to Ward, he was _never_ one of our own. He was always Hydra, so he hasn't 'gone rogue' at all - he's just revealed his true colors." Coulson worked his jaw for a beat before continuing, "He has led us to believe that he may approach you, Talbot, with something very ... Fragile."

"Your girl." Talbot replied, lifting his chin a little. Coulson blinked, his only tell that he was surprised, but Talbot saw it and smirked. "Yes, Director Coulson, I received an anonymous package just this morning, with a _very interesting_ thumb drive inside. Care to discuss your rogue agents further, Coulson?"

"She is not Hydra, Talbot, and _you know_ I'm not Hydra either." Coulson started quickly. "We've been over this,"

"Yes, but there are more threats out there than just Hydra, now isn't there?" Talbot returned. "I'm in the middle of a _mess_ , Coulson. Half the world wants the Avengers gone, and the other half says they're our only hope. Any side I choose could be disastrous, and you're hiding these potentially dangerous _things_ so you can use them for whatever the hell it is you've got going on!"

"They're not _things_ , Talbot, they're _people_." Coulson argued. "Most of them don't know what's happening to them and they're _terrified_. You're going to go after them with guns? We're trying to help them! If they can learn to control their powers - "

"Then they can use them against us." Talbot interrupted.

"Talbot - "

"This Index you guys used to have. I've reinstated it. The _Fridge_? It's been refortified. Relocated. And we're using it, Coulson." Coulson started to argue again, but Talbot spoke over him, "At the very least we will use this base to study them and determine whether they can be trusted to continue living along with the human population."

" _Concentration camps_?" Coulson exclaimed. "Jesus, which one of us actually sounds like the Nazi, now?"

"They won't be tortured and killed, Coulson," Talbot rolled his eyes as if Coulson were being absolutely ridiculous. "They will be detained and studied. Given physiological evals. We will determine their danger according to the level of their power, and then they'll be free to return to their lives."

"Unless they happen to be too powerful in your opinion. Then they'll be locked up for the rest of their lives according to something _they might not even do_." Coulson frowned deeply, and Talbot narrowed his eyes.

"What are you going to do? Give them all a job within SHIELD just like you did with _Daisy_ _Johnson_?" He said her name mockingly, and Coulson gritted his teeth.

"Agent Johnson was an Agent of SHIELD long before this happened to her," he said darkly, and Talbot scoffed.

"But this didn't just 'happen to her', did it? Ward gave me a copy of her file, too. Her history. She was _born_ with this inside of her - it was just _waiting_ to be released! There could be _thousands_ more like her out there, hiding behind a guise of humanness." He sounded disgusted. "I am going to protect my country from _anything_ that poses a threat to it, Agent Coulson."

"These people _are_ a part of your country, Talbot." Coulson replied, his tone level again. "You say that anyone could end up being like this, _different_. What if it was your son? Your wife?" He challenged.

"Don't you dare accuse my wife of being - "

"But you wouldn't really _know_ , would you? It could be _anyone_."

Talbot observed the darkness on Coulson's face for a moment.

"Coulson," He finally said, a little more reserved, "I _have_ to do something. You know I can't just sit back and let these ... _Inhumans_ wreak havoc. People are _scared_."

"So are the Inhumans." Coulson pointed out. Talbot seemed to think about something for another minute.

"Ward told me that you and I had the only copies of this footage. He said that I would know to do the right thing - he completely believes that I will release this to the media." Coulson held his breath. "Why don't we come up with some sort of deal?" Talbot finally sighed. "I should've known that Ward probably did this to tear apart what little working relationship you and I _do_ have."

"Destroy that drive," Coulson said, "And I promise to keep you in the loop of our Caterpillars Project."

"Your... God, did _you_ come up with that name?" Talbot scowled, and Coulson looked miffed.

"Any Inhumans we come across as a real danger to human life, we send them on to you. But _we_ decide who is truly a threat and who isn't."

"You going to tell me that you're unbiased?" Talbot scoffed. "With your girl being one of them?"

"My team is far less biased than yours, I'm sure." Coulson said pointedly, and Talbot sighed again.

"Fine. You've got yourself a deal, Coulson. But here's the thing - you're going to give us Johnson."

" _What_." Coulson actually laughed, but Talbot wasn't smiling at all.

"Prove to me that you're as unbiased as you say you are. Let us have Agent Johnson as our first... guest." Coulson winced at the phrasing, thinking of the GH serum. "We'll run our tests, put her in the system, and let you have her back."

"You think I'm going to let you _experiment_ on one of my agents?!" Coulson stepped closer to the screen.

"That's exactly what you're going to do. Because then I know I can trust you to truly keep us fully informed."

"You," Coulson almost snarled.

"I'll do it." Skye spoke up from behind him, making him turn around in surprise. He'd thought he was alone in the office.

"Excellent," Talbot smiled.

"Absolutely not!" Coulson argued, and Skye narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's a good deal, Coulson, and you know it. They have the manpower and resources to keep the bad ones under lock and key. _We_ don't." Skye informed him, and he shook his head.

"I don't care, I am _not_ letting you subject yourself - "

"It's _me_ we're discussing here, so it's actually _not_ your decision to make." Skye folded her arms across her chest.

"Skye," Coulson implored quietly, his back still toward the screen, "they may not call it torture, but their _testing_ is not pleasant."

"I'm a big girl, Coulson. I can take care of myself." Skye assured him, her tone just a bit softer. Coulson looked at her for a second longer, and then turned toward the screen again.

"You give me your word, Talbot." He ordered. "No matter _what_ happens, no matter what your gizmos and your scientists tell you - _she comes back_." Talbot blinked at him, something knowing passing through his eyes. "Because I'm not giving you _shit_ until she's back under my roof, unharmed." Talbot was silent as he looked at both of them.

"You'll want to get your people after Ward, and make sure he really doesn't have any more copies of this," Talbot finally said, holding up the thumb drive and then setting it on the desk in front of him. He pulled out his gun and slammed the butt of the grip into the drive, shattering it apart. He dug out the chip and held it in front of them with a raised eyebrow, snapping it in half.

Skye let out a noise of relief.

"You have a deal, Coulson. I'll send you the coordinates where my men will be waiting for your girl. I'll come up with something to say to the public, forward you the notes before I give the speech. And someone figure out what the hell Ward is planning that he wanted you and I at odds." Talbot hung up the call before Coulson could say anything in reply.

He sighed heavily, leaning his hands on the desk in front of him and bowing his head. He felt Skye's hand rest on his back.

"It'll be alright, AC." Skye assured soothingly. "We've got to work with what we've got. All he knows is that we're looking into powered people, the fact that we're building a team of them can still stay between us."

"I'm not worried about that, Skye. I'm worried about _you_." He looked over his shoulder at her. "You're extremely powerful - the exact kind of powerful that he wants to lock up."

"You made yourself pretty clear," She teased a little, "I don't think he's willing to risk your deal. Besides," she slipped her hand up to the nape of his neck, curling her fingers against his skin, "No one can keep me locked up for very long."

"I should probably ask Agent May about being liaison... speak along with Talbot about this plan of ours. So there's a face for both parties." Coulson relaxed into her touch.

"The American military and SHIELD, working together to keep both the humans and the Inhumans safe... that's kind of poetic." She moved around and pressed against his side momentarily, offering a hug.

"If we can do this right...." He mused, turning toward her to slide his arms around her waist and pull her in. "This isn't what I meant when I agreed for us to not be a secret anymore," He said into her hair, and she chuckled, pressing her lips against his neck for just a second.

"Me, either," She agreed, her fingers brushing through the ends of his hair. He sighed, and then carefully put some space between them.

"Let's work on what May should say on behalf of the Inhumans. I think she more than anyone wants to give the good ones a chance, and if we use the right words, they'll hopefully feel safe enough to reveal themselves." Coulson suggested.

"We should make sure to say they have a _choice_." Skye added, and he nodded. They both sat in front of his desk, leaning into one another as they started drafting their part of the speech.

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


Talbot himself was there, along with three other men and the pilot of the helicopter. Coulson stood next to Skye and May in the field between the helicopter and Lola, his sunglasses hiding any emotion he may have been feeling.

"Five against three? Is that really necessary, General?" Coulson called out over the noise of the rotating blades, and Talbot scowled.

"It's necessary when I'm never sure when you're going to spontaneously kidnap me again, Coulson. I don't particularly enjoy waking up alone and in the middle of nowhere." Talbot replied, and Coulson smirked. "Come on, then. We've got a meeting to get to," Talbot gestured toward May, who looked - only to Coulson and Skye, of course - extremely uncomfortable in her business suit.

"Be safe." Coulson said as quietly as he could to Skye, and she smiled and squeezed his arm.

"I'll allow your girlfriend to contact you while she's with us," Talbot complained, "come on!"

May rolled her eyes at Coulson, and Skye grinned a little, before the two of them started walking toward the helicopter.

"Let me know what you find out about Ward?" Talbot asked, turning away without waiting for an answer.

"Talbot!" Coulson called out as the man was climbing back onto the helicopter after the ladies, and he turned toward him with an exasperated look. "Take care of my wife!"

Talbot stared at him, and Coulson smiled before turning around and walking back to Lola. He didn't see Talbot look at May questioningly, May look at Skye in surprise, or Skye's shrug.

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


_"Together, with SHIELD, we will endeavor to keep everyone's safety our top priority."_

Talbot didn't look entirely pleased about what he was saying, but it was obvious that his words were still true.

_"This is a particular situation we find ourselves in and I only ask that you trust us to handle this in the best way fit for everyone involved. We are all people, here. Some of us are just a little further evolved than others."_

_"There is nothing wrong with having a gift, with being different,"_ May added, sounding very different than her usual self.

The rest of the team was joking about her open and compassionate appearance, but Coulson was quietly pleased to see remnants of his old friend, his pre-Bahrain Melinda May.

_"It can be just as scary for those with gifts as it is for those without. Possibly, even more scary. We offer an opportunity to discover, to learn. These powers are exactly like the guns and weapons we see used every day - they are not inherently dangerous. What makes them dangerous is how they are chosen to be used. If they are used without understanding, without proper training, they could be dangerous."_

_"And just like any other weapons, if they are used in a threatening manner, you will be detained."_ Talbot added seriously.

Coulson knew what the rest of the speech was, and he turned his focus away from the television. He still wasn't exactly happy about the situation, but something needed to be done. There were still far more humans in the world than Inhumans, and he was worried that if they allowed the fear of the unknown to fester, they would be facing genocide.

Humans, for thousands of years, have always as a majority seen something alien as something evil. Countless books, movies, and real historical documentation attested to that fact. If they didn't provide something that could make both the Inhumans and the humans feel safe, he truly believed that the humans would take matters into their own hands - and it wouldn't end well for anyone. Jiaying proved that distrust amongst the Inhumans, and he wanted to avoid that kind of situation happening again as much as possible.

"Not bad, Director. Did you write Talbot's part for him, too?" Bobbi teased as the press conference entered its question-and-answer phase.

"I made some edits," Coulson shrugged a little, and she laughed.

"So where's Skye, exactly? I don't see her with Agent May." Hunter wondered, voicing what Coulson knew everyone was curious about.

"She's there as support, only." He lied easily. "In case an Inhuman approaches May and has some questions that Skye might be able to answer. But May is the public face of SHIELD, for now."

"When are they supposed to be back? I'm sure Ward won't be happy hearing that his plan completely backfired. They're prepared in case he goes after them, right?"

"I think you're forgetting who we're talking about here, Hunter," Coulson replied. "It's May and Skye. They are more than capable of taking care of themselves, and I think Ward is smart enough not to go after two people who have bested him more than once already."

"Especially when they are near the top of the list of people who really want to kick his ass." Bobbi added.

Coulson's cell started ringing and they all looked at him, wondering who was calling. Coulson frowned a little at them and stood, stepping out into the hall.

"Hello?"

"Agent Coulson." Ward sounded like he was on the edge of something. "I have to admit, you surprised me with that move. How did you manage to get Talbot to cooperate?"

"You know I don't give out all my secrets," Coulson replied.

"Oh, I know. That's why I was depending on Talbot to do it for you." Ward sighed sadly. "It's too bad that I was telling the truth when I said I only had two copies of that footage... But it's only a matter of time, Coulson. They _will_ find out you've got _special people_ in your ranks, and then they'll come to take them from you."

"We both know you're talking about Skye, and you don't need to worry about that. She's not going anywhere." Coulson smiled.

"I wouldn't be so sure, _Director_." Ward threatened. "That was only one of my plays. It's failure does set me back a little, but trust me, my plans are still in motion."

"Good," Coulson returned easily, "I would be disappointed if you've gone soft, Ward."

"You made a mistake sending May so far away without any backup! After what she did to Kara, she's getting what she deserves," Ward growled. Something in Coulson's gut hardened and he stepped in front of the entryway where he could see the TV.

" _You_ killed Kara, Ward, in your bloodlust. You've got to stop blaming others for your choices,"

"She knew Kara still had - she tricked her! It was _her_ fault!" Ward was losing it, Coulson could tell, and he kept his eyes on the television. Whenever the camera focused on the small crowd, he scanned through quickly for any familiar face. Half of the others in the room were looking at him, but he ignored them. "I was going to give her a bit of _Bobbi's_ medicine, but no time for that now. I'll be seeing you, Coulson." Ward hung up, and Coulson immediately dialed May's direct line.

"What's going - " Fitz started to ask, but Coulson held his finger in the air for silence. He watched onscreen as May pressed her finger against her ear.

"May, delta six. _Now_." Coulson ordered, and they all watched as, with no hesitation, May grabbed onto Talbot and tugged him down behind the podium with her. Not a full second after that shots rang out, pegging into the wall where their heads had just been. People started yelling and the cameraman swung around toward the back of the room, trying to find the shooter as he-or-she ducked down with the crowd.

"There!" Bobbi yelled, pointing at the screen, and it seemed the cameraman knew as well, because the screen refocused to show Grant Ward's scowling, heavily bearded face. He disappeared into the scrambling crowd, the camera wobbled, and then the feed cut out.

Everyone in the room was silent for a half a second. Then they were all moving at once.

"I'll check local camera feeds and see if we can track him," Bobbi announced, heading off toward Skye's office.

"I can get a plane ready for extraction," Mack suggested, and Hunter and Fitz stood up with him. Coulson nodded.

"Ready two. Quickly." He said, and turned to Billy. "Get Talbot on the line. Keep calling until he answers. Follow me." Coulson instructed, and Billy nodded, pulling out his tablet and following Coulson down the hall toward his office. "May?" Coulson said into his phone. "May, are you there?"

"Here, Coulson," May replied, sounding slightly breathless. "Talbot's people have us secured in an armored car. We're headed to the base."

"No, he might follow you! It's Ward, May. He's after _you_ , but to get both you and Skye, and the location of The Fridge, would be his ultimate prize. Let's meet at an extraction point, we can go from there. Skye is safe where she is right now; Ward doesn't know she's not with me."

"Ward. Dammit." May muttered.

"Tell Talbot to answer his damn phone!" Coulson exclaimed, frustrated.

"Ward spoke to you, didn't he?" May realized, but before Coulson answered her, Talbot's voice was emanating from the tablet in Billy's hands.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Talbot shouted. "I thought you said this speech would lessen the amount of death threats - they're shooting to kill _already_?"

"It was Ward, Talbot," Coulson explained, turning he mouthpiece of his cell away so May wouldn't get any feedback. "And it's not you he's after. I need you to go to the coordinates I'm about to send you. We'll extract you, and then - "

"Absolutely not - no one knows the new location of The Fridge, we'll be perfectly safe there. I'm not having SHIELD bail my ass out yet again and make me look like an incompetent fool!"

"It's safe to assume Ward is following you right now, and he _cannot_ know the location of that base. If he gets his hands on any of the people we put in there, it will be catastrophic." Coulson argued.

"What about Agent Johnson?" May asked through the speaker, and Coulson tucked his cell back into his pocket.

"You guys need to lead him away from the base. I'll send a separate team to pick her up. As long as paths don't cross, he won't even know we have a second extraction team out." Coulson explained.

"Dammit, I really don't like this guy." Talbot muttered. "And you and I need to have a talk about _Agent Johnson_."

Billy looked at Coulson, and Coulson sighed.

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


"Good to see everyone unharmed. And neither of you were followed?" Coulson greeted Skye and May in the hall just inside from the hangar.

"No, but Talbot and his men are going to be _pissed_ when they wake up." May remarked.

"What's going on?" Skye demanded. "Billy wouldn't tell me anything."

"Under my orders," Coulson told her. "Let's get Talbot's men in the cage and Talbot in my office, then I'll explain."

Hunter and Mack got a couple of the techs to help them carry the other unconscious soldiers, and Skye acquired a wheelchair for May to plop Talbot into.

"I had to deal with him for the past five days, _you_ can push." May frowned, folding her arms across her chest.

" _I_ had to deal with being poked and prodded by his creepy scientists for the past five days!" Skye argued, and Coulson rolled his eyes.

" _I'll_ push," He muttered, getting behind the wheelchair. "How are you, Skye?" May rolled her eyes at him, but he ignored her.

"It wasn't so bad," She admitted, walking beside him as May led the way. "They asked me lots of questions. What I knew I could do, about my parents, about you."

"Me?" Coulson wondered, and she gave him a wry look.

"You're in the Index, but I'm guessing you already know that," She sounded a bit peeved about that, and he swallowed. "They wanted to know details. Why. If you were Inhuman."

"What did you tell them?" Coulson wondered, not suspicious at all. He trusted her.

"The truth. That I didn't know about you being in the Index." Yeah, she was mad he hadn't told her about that. "They took that to mean I hadn't even known that you weren't human, so they stopped asking about you."

"Thanks," he said quietly, giving her a sideways look, promising to talk with her about it later.

"They took my blood, measured my heart rate, all that stuff that Simmons had done. Mostly, they asked a lot of questions. They wondered for a bit if my powers were like Banner's, if they were controlled by my emotions, so they tried to set me off."

Coulson remembered when Skye first realized her powers, and how she had panicked, and how they had gotten worse. She seemed to know what he was thinking.

"I can control them now, remember?" She gave him a crooked smile. "They couldn't get anything out of me." He was momentarily relieved.

"So why does Talbot want to talk with me about you so badly?" Coulson wondered, and Skye shrugged.

She helped him get the wheelchair up the stairs, and May shut the door behind them when they wheeled Talbot into his office. Then Coulson and May caught Skye up to speed, and they waited for the Icer's effects to wear off of Talbot.

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


"What the hell, Coulson?" Talbot complained once he came to, rubbing the back of his head. He paced toward the window, and Coulson knew he was looking for distinguishing markers to help him figure out where he was. He wouldn't find any.

"On the plus side, you aren't tied up in car in the middle of nowhere," Skye pointed out, and Coulson and May both gave her a look that clearly told her that she wasn't helping. She raised her eyebrows and looked away, leaning against Coulson's desk.

"Still seem to be in the middle of nowhere," Talbot muttered, and turned around to face the room. "Why is it that a man who runs a secret organization that is hated by a lot of people has an office twice as big as mine?"

"Perks." Coulson smiled, and Talbot scowled.

"Your boy tried to kill me,"

"He's not ours." All three of them corrected, and Talbot blinked.

"Don't think so highly of yourself, _General_." May scoffed. "He was trying to kill _me_."

"He has a bit of a revenge problem. Blaming other people for his own problems. I could go on, but I really don't feel like it." Coulson said, leaning against his desk next to Skye. Talbot eyed them.

"You two need to be careful," He advised them, and Skye raised her eyebrow. "My people advised me _against_ returning her to you. _All_ of them advised against it."

"What for?" Skye demanded. "I didn't do anything to any of them!"

"It's what you _could_ do to them." Talbot said pointedly. "Your girl is _powerful_." He told Coulson. "My people seem to think none of you realize just _how_ powerful."

"I know how to handle my powers." Skye said firmly, and Coulson glanced at her for a moment, resisting the urge to put his hand comfortingly on her arm.

"Be that as it may, what you can _do_ is..." Talbot trailed off.

"It's magnificent." Coulson said firmly, catching May roll her eyes again and fold her arms across her chest. Coulson stood straight, facing Talbot. "It's an asset, a _gift_. She's a SHIELD agent, Talbot, above all."

"Yeah, whatever." Talbot had an uncomfortable look in his face, and changed the topic. "How long do I have to stay... Wherever the hell we are? And where are my men?"

"Your men are fine, in our holding facility downstairs. I would suggest waiting to leave until after the scene at the press conference is secured, but, we all know how much you like to listen to me." Coulson snarked.

"How close are we to the building?" Talbot wondered.

"Not close. But Ward may still be in the area, and if you return there he will probably go after you and try to get information out of you." May informed him, and he scoffed.

"He can't get shit from me."

"He'll try." May replied seriously.

"Who's to say he won't try any other day? You can't keep me here indefinitely. We aren't even sure where he is right now." Talbot pointed out. Just then, Bobbi opened the door a little and poked her head into the room. Coulson waved her in.

"I've got an update on Ward's position. This was about five minutes ago, but a security camera caught him driving off headed north. I could only follow him so far; I can't hack into security feeds quite as well as uh, Agent Johnson here." Bobbi explained, and Skye grinned and took the tablet out of her hands.

"Lemme see what I can do..." She murmured, and Bobbi watched over her shoulder as she worked.

"And what the hell is with this Agent Johnson crap?" Talbot complained. "I already _know_ her name is Skye. Does two Coulson's get too confusing?" Talbot was hassling them really, just fussing because he didn't have control of the situation, and he probably had a headache from the Icer.

Coulson swallowed and looked at Skye, who raised her eyebrows at him in a look that clearly stated _he_ was the one who was going to explain. Bobbi looked wide-eyed at him, and even May looked like she wanted to know.

" _Two Coulson's_?" Bobbi repeated, frowning.

"I wondered what the hell you meant when you told him to take care of your wife." May commented, and then shook her head. " _Jesus_ , Coulson, I thought that was _code_ for something!"

"Sorry I gave it away." Talbot shrugged, not looking or sounding sorry at all. "You're lucky, though. If she wasn't your wife, we would have kept her."

"It's good to know I can trust you in a deal," Coulson mocked dryly.

"You made that deal before we knew just what she was capable of! You're lucky I'm a family man, Coulson!" Talbot informed him, glancing at Skye for a second before shaking his head and turning back toward the window.

Skye opened her mouth in realization and looked at Coulson, who subtly shook his head. She nodded and reached her hand toward his, lacing their fingers together and squeezing gently. May eyeballed them suspiciously, and Bobbi swallowed down her grin, not entirely surprised by the information.

"He's gone." Bobbi spoke up a minute later. "He got on the interstate headed somewhere further north. Talbot and his men should be safe to return to the conference building."

"I want you and Hunter to tail them, just to be safe. Make sure they aren't being followed." Coulson ordered, and Bobbi nodded, moving toward the door. "Agent May, can you and Skye make sure his men make it to their vehicle okay? I don't want them getting lost in the halls." Coulson gave Talbot a warning look during this, and the General rolled his eyes.

"Should we prepare Icer's for the return trip, as well?" Skye asked, pulling her hand from his as she stood straight. Coulson nodded, and Talbot groaned.

"Come on, _you_ know about _our_ secret base!" He complained, but Coulson only raised his eyebrow.

"Give us the room, please?" Coulson asked, and May nodded and left. Skye hesitated, uncomfortable about the look Talbot was giving her, and Coulson put his hand on her arm. "It'll be fine." He assured her, rubbing his thumb against her comfortingly. She smiled and then followed after May, shutting the door behind her.

"Why didn't I see it before?" Talbot had a furrowed brow as he looked at the space Skye had just vacated. "You always were particular when it came to her."

"I still am." Coulson informed him. "You will Index her as Daisy Johnson. In any discussion, you will refer to her as Daisy Johnson - though I would prefer there be little to no discussion of her at all. You will not seek her out to capture and contain her, and you will not slander her across the media. She is a SHIELD agent, and a good one. One of our best.” Coulson gave him a stern look, and then added a bit offhandedly, “She also happens to have powers, which she uses sparingly."

"And she's your wife." Talbot pointed out dryly, and Coulson blinked.

"I'm a family man too, Talbot."

"I won't mess with your girl."

"Good."

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


"I can't believe you _said_ that!" Skye hissed, shoving him into the now-familiar storage closet. She slammed the door shut behind them, and Coulson knew at least three or four people saw them enter the room.

"I had to ensure your safety!" Coulson argued, backing up against one of the shelves as Skye approached closer.

"So you told him I was _your wife_?!" She exclaimed quietly. "And then you _repeated_ it in front of May and Bobbi?!"

"Technically, I didn't _say_ anything in front of May and Bobbi. I just went along with Talbot's assumptions." Coulson pointed out, and she shook her head. Before she could yell at him again he added, "I had persuaded Talbot into this whole deal in the first place by mentioning his family, his wife. I had asked him how he would feel if he found out his wife was an Inhuman; someone who had no idea about her genes or what she could do, someone who was _good_ but _different_." Skye hesitated, mortification fading into realization. "I used that attachment for my own benefit - I didn't trust that he would let you go, once he really saw what you could do. And it turns out I was right."

"How did you know it was going to work? How did you know he would even care about a relationship of yours?" Skye wondered. Coulson reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, resting his hand against the side of her neck.

"Because he knows what it's like to have someone you care about, and work a job like this." Coulson explained softly, pulling her gently against him. "It's dangerous, and it's not easy. It's something to be cherished." Her fingers wrapped around the lapels of his suit as she leaned her weight into him.

"This _also_ wasn't exactly what I meant when I said I didn't want to be a secret anymore," She told him, and he gave her an apologetic look. "I was kind of mostly thinking about the team? Now _Talbot_ knows, which means it's in my Index file, which means anyone who looks up that file will know."

"Most people don't know who you are, though, remember? Not very many people will be searching for you by name. _I'm_ in the Index too, and I'm supposed to be dead. I'm also banking on the idea that no one should be looking me up by name."

"What about Ward?" She asked, and Coulson sighed as he considered.

"I can talk to Talbot about getting you to increase the security for the Index? It has been once again hidden from the public, but I'm sure there are plenty of hackers who are still trying to get in." He gave her a slightly amused look.

"Want me to check my Rising Tide contacts, see if they have anyone on it? There are a few solo guys out there, but they've still got most of the best ones on their payroll." Skye said, and he nodded, sliding his hand into her hair.

"Yes...but later." He smiled a little, gently tugging her hair, and she pressed her hands flat against his chest.

"Obviously." She replied. "We should probably talk to the team though, right? About us. May knows,"

"May won't tell anyone." Coulson said with assurance, and Skye gave him a dubious look.

"It's not like she caught us kissing in some dark corner," Skye reminded him, "she thinks _we're married_. That's kind of serious news."

"May knows it was just a cover," Coulson reasoned, though he didn't sound quite as sure.

"Judging by the way she's been looking at me every time we're in the same room together, I highly doubt that. And you and I _both_ know that Bobbi is going to tell Hunter."

"Well... Maybe it's for the best."

"How so?" Skye wondered with disbelief.

"Skye, this cover is keeping you safe. If Talbot decides to keep you on that base, you'll be facing a whole lot more than a blood sample and some psych evals. I want this project to be a good thing we're doing, but until I get some SHIELD agents in that facility, I can't trust him not to start experimenting on people. The temptation is far too great. I mean, even FitzSimmons wanted to test your abilities, and they're _your friends_." Coulson pointed out, and Skye gave him a worried look.

"They can't be _experimenting_ \- if word gets out about that no one will trust us! It'll be just like the old system -"

"Which is why I'm going to get my own scientists in there," Coulson interrupted her gently, resting his robot hand against her side. He was still tentative to touch other people with it, and very rarely did. "Very soon. We've already got plans set in motion." Skye relaxed again, and sighed heavily as she lay her forehead on his shoulder.

"This was difficult enough _without_ Ward's interference. Why does he always manage to show up at the worst times?" She complained.

"It's a gift, I suppose." He slid his arm further around her back to hold her against him, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. After a moment he asked, "Would it be too awkward if I got us some rings to wear?"

"No," Skye replied, not sounding surprised at all, "it would help sell it." He relaxed and tightened his arm around her momentarily.

"Okay," He said, a bit relieved.

"Could I, maybe, help find some?" She asked shyly, turning her head to press her cheek into his shoulder. He shifted a little and swallowed.

"I, uh, already found them." He said carefully, and she pulled her head back to look at him.

"You already found them?" She repeated, surprised.

"I, already have them?" He winced, and as she stared at him, he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out two small black boxes.

"Jesus, Coulson, you were _carrying them around_?" Skye exclaimed, sounding a little breathless, taking a step away from him and staring at the objects in his upturned palm.

"Wasn't sure when the moment would arise," He replied defensively. She looked at him for a second, an expression of surprised disbelief still on her face, and then she looked back down at the boxes in his hand.

"Well." She swallowed, and seemed to gather herself. "Let's see them, I guess."

"For all the compliments you give me about my suits, you sound awfully distrustful of my taste." Coulson grumbled as he opened both of the boxes and turned them so she could see inside.

"Suits and jewelry are two different things..." Skye trailed off, her expression unreadable as she picked up the box that held the smaller ring. Both rings were silver in color, with two thin bands near either side that were vibrant blue, almost Kree-blue.

Coulson hadn't consciously thought of that when he had ordered them - he had just liked the blue and silver, and thought Skye would too - and now he worried that it would be a bad reminder.

"Holy _shit_ , Phil." Skye took hers out of the box and held it up, rotating it around to get a better look at it. Coulson swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very nervous about something that wasn't actually a legitimate thing. And Skye hardly ever called him Phil, even in private.

"They're titanium," He explained, still trying to sound coy about the whole thing, to remind himself that this wasn't real. "And once we 'break the news', so to speak, I'm going to have Fitz coat them with that damage-resistant material he's been working on. I'll also ask him to include a tracking and communications device inside the ring, in case of emergencies and we can't otherwise contact the team."

"Cool," Skye said with a little grin, slipping the ring on and holding her hand up to look at it. "Real spy gear." Her grin dropped suddenly, and she looked at him with seriousness. "This isn't going to start leaking any fluids, or spontaneously explode, or anything like that, right?" Coulson grinned and took the empty box from her, pulling his own ring out before slipping the boxes back into his pocket.

"No," He promised, watching her watch him put his ring in the breast pocket of his suit. He couldn't wear it yet until the skin was attached to his metal hand. "It won't do anything like that. So, the color is okay? I didn't realize..." He trailed off as she looked at her ring again, a soft expression on her face.

"It's perfect." She said, and looked at him quickly again. "I mean, for the situation and all. That serum...is one of the ways we're connected, Coulson. The others will _totally_ buy it."

"Right." He nodded, feeling extremely relieved, and even hopeful, which he squashed down immediately. This was a cover.

"Now is where we kiss, right?" Skye teased, and he laughed.

"Please, if you make up a proposal story, _don't_ tell them it happened in a storage closet." He begged, and she laughed too, stepping against him again and brushing her nose against his.

"A lot of significant things happened in this storage closet though," She reasoned, her hands on his hips as she pressed her body against his. "This is where you finally admitted how you really felt about me,"

" _I_ finally admitted - " He started to protest, though his fingers curved around her ribcage invitingly.

"Our first kiss," She continued, interrupting him, her lips briefly touching his neck. "Many kisses after that." She kissed his jaw and then the corner of his mouth, and he closed his eyes, resisting the urge to move his hands up just a little further to touch her breasts. "The first time you had to sneak back to your room so you wouldn't be caught with a hard-on."

"That _did not_ ," He argued, but then stopped at the knowing look on her face. "Don't make it sound like I'm some randy teenaged boy," He complained, and she raised her eyebrows.

"Randy?" She repeated with amusement. "Who says that?"

" _You_ were the one who had strong-armed me and shoved me in here!" He reminded her, feeling his face heat up.

"You've done that a few times yourself," She pointed out, and he looked to the side, rotating his jaw. She wasn't wrong about that. _She_ was the one who dragged him in here today, though, these purposes had been more...innocent. "I remember the last time quite clearly, actually. Don't tell me _you_ forgot." He narrowed his eyes at her challenge, and gripped his hands around her so he could flip their positions, pressing her against the shelves now.

"I remember," He promised in a low tone, and then started pressing kisses against her neck. She yelped in surprise when his teeth grazed her skin and then she started laughing, her hands against his shirt beneath is suit jacket. "You wore your tactical suit the entire next day to cover up the hickey," he said as he kissed the exact same spot, teasing a repeat performance. Skye's laugh turned into a complaining groan and she pushed at him lightly.

"Oh, come on, I don't want to have to worry about covering up again! That thing is constricting to wear all day!" She was laughing again though, so he dropped his kisses onto her collarbone, pulling away her shirt as it got in the way. "May would see those too, Coulson, I wear a tank-top during our sparring sessions sometimes," Skye grabbed his chin and pulled him up, kissing him hard on the mouth.

He loved it when she kissed him, when she was the one taking control, pushing her tongue into his mouth and exploring as if he was still unknown to her. As if she didn't know him better than he knew himself.

He moaned, feeling the heat spark and curl low in his abdomen, slowly building as Skye pressed her body more firmly against him. She may have been the one against the shelves, but she was definitely the one in charge right now, and he could only oblige when her hands slipped over his ass, tugging him purposefully against her. He rolled his hips once and she moaned into his mouth, her fingers gripping at his shirt in a halfway attempt to pull it free from his trousers.

There was a loud knock on the door, three firm hits that yanked Coulson back into the world around them, and he stumbled away from her. They were both breathing heavily, and stared at one another wide-eyed, quickly gauging an escape plan. Coulson knew he was much more disheveled than she was, and he took her shoulder and pushed her toward the door, stepping away from it and hurriedly re-tucking his shirt. Skye brushed her hands across her hair and then opened the door.

"Yes?" She asked levelly, sounding completely at ease, as if it was normal for her to be found inside of a storage closet with the Director of SHIELD.

Granted, lately, that did seem to be becoming a thing of frequence...

"If the two of you are finished..." May glanced at Coulson, "whatever it is you're doing, Fitz has Coulson's hand ready." May glanced at Coulson again before leaving, and Skye stayed where she was with her hand on the door.

"I think she knows we were making out." Skye commented, and Coulson rolled his eyes.

"You think?" He grumbled, finishing straightening himself out and stepping behind her to open the door wider. "I didn't expect it to be ready this early..." He said a little nervously, as Skye followed him out into the hallway.

"Want me to come with you?" She asked, and he considered it.

"No," He eventually said with a sigh, "you should get to work on that Index stuff. And you might want to check with Bobbi on her surveillance of Ward. I want us to keep tabs on him as much as possible."

"Alrighty, Boss." Skye agreed with a smile, and Coulson reached for her hand before she could walk away. His thumb brushed across the ring on her finger, and he smiled lightly. "We can continue our discussion later," She promised with a wink, and sauntered off down the hall.

It wasn't real, but he was proud and, frankly, elated that she was wearing a ring that matched the one he would soon be wearing. A heck of a lot sooner than he had expected, and he looked forward to having a real-looking hand again. He turned and headed in the opposite direction of her, toward the labs.

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


"Coulson?" A few days later May stood in the doorway of his office, her body language asking for some one-on-one time.

"Come on in, May." Coulson said, and looked at Billy. "Thanks for the update. Let me know if anything changes." Billy nodded and left the room, nodding a hello to May as he past her in the doorway.

"Any news about Ward?" May asked as she sat across from his desk. He shook his head, hands clasped together on top of the desk. He was twisting the ring on his left hand around and around his finger, not realizing what he was doing. "Feels weird, doesn't it?" May asked softly, and he looked at her in surprise.

"What?" He realized what he was doing, and stopped, looking down at his hand. "Yeah," he admitted, "the whole thing feels weird, though."

"You should probably have a talk with everyone. There are rumors going around." May advised, leaning back in her chair. Coulson furrowed his brow.

"What rumors?"

"You and Skye and your _secret meetings_ in the storage closet in Hall H." May replied, raising her eyebrow. "It would probably help if they knew you were married."

"What, are they _concerned_ about me making an honest woman out of her, or something? This is the 21st century - "

"I think they're concerned that there might be an abuse of power - _on both sides_ ," May added quickly when Coulson's expression clouded. "A lot of them think this is going to crash and burn and screw up a lot of things in the process." May informed him seriously.

"Oh." Coulson realized, deflating. "They think this is just a... fling?" He clarified, and she nodded.

"Also, it'd be nice if we stopped finding you in the storage room together. That's just really awkward."

"Sorry." Coulson wasn't sorry at all, and May knew it. "Alright," he sighed, "I'll send a memo out and ask everyone to meet in the hangar tonight before dinner. Spread the word." May nodded again, and glanced down at him after she stood. He'd started fingering the ring again.

"I can't believe you got married, and I wasn't invited." May complained jokingly, and Coulson grinned and then looked up at her carefully.

"May, you _do_ know this is just a cover, right?" He checked, his voice low in case anyone was in the hall outside the office. May's smile was difficult to read.

"Of course it is." She said, and left the room. Coulson stared after her, twisting the ring around his finger.

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


May had been right; everyone mostly relaxed after Coulson and Skye announced their relationship. The team were all miffed about the complete blindside, and then about not being included in the arrangement to begin with, even though Coulson explained that they hadn't done anything at all other than go through the legalities.

It was nice being able to have Skye sleep in his room, though, and not worry about sneaking around. As much, anyway. They still wanted to keep as private as possible, especially with May and Billy thinking their relationship was just a cover. Their _marriage_ was the cover, but their relationship was still very much real, and they still found themselves making out in that storage room during whatever rare free time they could afford.

"Seriously, you two - you don't need to _sneak around_ anymore! You're _married_! Kiss her wherever the hell you want!" Hunter complained when he'd opened the door on them for the hundredth time. Coulson raised his eyebrow, and Hunter scrambled. "I mean, on the base, Sir, kiss her wherever the hell on the _base_ you want."

"Hunter, what do you want?" Skye sighed as she fixed her dress, which had ridden up when Coulson had slipped his hand under it... Coulson jerked his eyes away from her legs and focused on Hunter.

"We've got another message from Ward." Hunter held up his tablet, and they quickly stepped into the hall to snatch it from him. Coulson watched over Skye's shoulder as Hunter complained about them being too grabby.

"When did this come in?" Coulson asked, all business, though he was straightening his tie and knew Hunter was smirking at him.

"Just a few minutes ago. Fitz tracked it and discovered that he's not very far from The Fridge. He's in the next town over, just hanging out at this diner. I think he's waiting for something."

_Every day my plan gets closer and closer to success, and you still haven't even tried to stop me yet. Given up already? Who's gone soft, **Director**?_

"He's taunting you, Coulson. He wants us to go after him." Skye warned, and Coulson nodded.

"Yeah, I know. He knows he's getting close." Coulson looked at both of them seriously. "We can't go after him _there_ ; he'll know for sure then that the base is nearby. But we can't just sit back and _hope_ he doesn't stumble across it..." Coulson made a noise of frustration, and Skye handed the tablet back to Hunter.

"We need to lure him out." Skye said. "What if I go? He sees me and tries to come after me, and I lead him further away from the base?"

"The problem with that is he's finally gotten over his obsession with you. And I can't believe I just said that was a _problem_." Coulson shook his head. "I could send May in, but that's too dangerous. May is one of the strongest people I have ever known, but the things he said he would do to her..." Coulson trailed off, and Hunter got a dark look on his face.

"Not after Bobbi - he's not getting his hands on _any_ of us." Hunter threatened, and Coulson completely agreed. He twirled his ring around his finger as he thought, a habit he had formed almost as soon as he had started wearing it.

"I got it." Skye realized, and they both looked at her. She took Coulson's hand and held it up, palm down, emphasizing at his ring. "Us. Coulson, he may have truly - in whatever way he can - been in love with Agent 33, but there's no way it wouldn't make him go crazy to see us together."

"I would rather _keep_ him from going crazy," Coulson said uncertainly.

"It's a good try though, right? He already doesn't like us, and he's hell-bent about Agent 33 being gone. I bet if he sees his hated enemies happy together, _in love_ , he'd forget about his plan just long enough for us to stop him!"

"I would say you're hinging a lot on the jealousy of one man, but I've seen him jealous, and he's let it overtake him before." Coulson slowly agreed.

“Well, you’re definitely not going without backup.” Hunter informed them, and Coulson gave him an annoyed look.

“Obviously.” He glanced down the hall, working his jaw as he watched a couple lab techs start heading their direction. “Let’s take this conversation to my office.”

He paged May while Skye brought up a map of the town, and she and Hunter started discussing vantage points and exit strategies around the diner. Coulson joined them, and once May showed up, he explained everything to her.

“You really think he’ll go for that?” May asked dubiously.

“He went for the Agent May ruse easily enough, back in that warehouse.” Skye pointed out.

“Yes, exactly.” May replied. “He messed up once, I highly doubt he’ll allow himself to mess up again.”

“Do you have another idea?” Coulson asked honestly. “We need to get him away from the area asap, without rousing suspicion. He doesn’t _know_ that Hunter showed me that message – Skye and I could pretend we’ve been out all day, that we don’t know anything new has developed since the shooting.”

“But we should decide _quickly_ , before he leaves the diner… we may lose him, otherwise.” Hunter put in urgently, and May pursed her lips. She thought for a moment, then visibly sighed.

“If I get the chance, can I kill him?” She asked seriously, and Coulson blinked at her.

“No.” He said, though it was after a moment of hesitation.

“Not even a little bit?” May checked, and he gave her a look.

“I want in on this.” Bobbi’s voice drew their attention toward the door, and Hunter stepped toward her.

“Absolutely not, I don’t want him anywhere near you,” Hunter started to argue.

“Then I can take the Night-Night Gun onto the nearest roof and help May keep watch – there is no way in hell you can keep me off of this op.” Bobbi informed them, looking at Coulson. He gauged her for a long moment.

“You’ve been cleared for field duty. As Director, I have no reason not to include you.” Coulson finally said, and Hunter opened his mouth to argue, but Coulson held his finger up to quiet him. “ _But_ , as someone concerned for your wellbeing, I’m not entirely comfortable with your first field op being involved with the man who almost killed you.”

“ _I_ think it’s a perfect choice.” Skye said quietly, sharing an understanding look with Bobbi. She looked back at Coulson and said pointedly, “I’d feel safer with more people at our backs, anyway.”

Coulson sighed heavily, and rubbed his hand over his eyes briefly before nodding and indicating that Bobbi close the door. She did as asked, and stood with them in front of the map, exuding nothing but calm confidence. Hunter looked a bit nervous, but he knew he couldn't argue against Bobbi, so he stood next to her and listened to the plan quietly.

It was nearing lunchtime, so Skye and Coulson would drive Lola into the town and meander around for a few minutes before deciding to eat at the diner for lunch. They would show a little PDA, share a meal, and then – hopefully – lead Ward away from town in the opposite direction of the base. Once they reached a suitable location (the quieter area near the town parameter), Hunter and May would get the jump on Ward and knock him out, allowing them to transport him back to the Playground where they would then attempt to figure out what his big plans were.

That last part was doubtful among all of them; they didn’t even believe Skye could get the truth out of him at this point, but the biggest goal was to get him apprehended and in custody where he couldn't hurt anyone.

They parked Lola on a quiet side street and cloaked her (thanks to Fitz), both of them giving the car a fond pat before heading down the sidewalk, Coulson’s arm around Skye’s shoulders. When they made it to the diner, she made a show of pausing to read the small sign that listed off the daily specials, leaning against Coulson and looking up at him for his opinion. He nodded, shrugged, smiled, and they walked in, very carefully keeping their eyes trained on one another so Ward wouldn’t think they were casing the place. They already knew he was here (and surprisingly alone), anyway.

Skye pointed to a table on the other side of the restaurant, where she knew Ward could see them but they weren’t facing him directly, and she pulled Coulson into the booth next to her. He looked surprised and the waitress looked amused, before leaving them to get a pitcher of water.

“Three o’clock,” Coulson whispered into Skye’s ear, and she nodded and smiled, pressing a quick kiss against his cheek.

“Definitely seen us.” She confirmed.

“We’ve got the front and back exits covered in case he makes a run for it,” May confirmed through the comms. “Bobbi is across the street.”

“I have you guys in the window, but not Ward. I won’t get a visual until he exits the building.” Bobbi told them. “Heat signatures picking up… at least a dozen people, not counting you two. If he tries something, there’s no way we can cover all of them.”

Coulson put his arm around Skye’s shoulders and turned his face toward her as if he was speaking to her,

“He won’t try anything. Not in here. Not enough room for a quick getaway.”

“Let’s just get milkshakes,” Skye suggested, and Coulson raised his eyebrow at her. “What? We have to order _something_ , and aren’t we pretending we’re on a date anyway?”

“You just want chocolate.” Coulson called her out, teasing, and she rolled her eyes and pushed at him. He smiled and removed his arm from her shoulders, accepting his glass of water from the waitress when she returned. “Chocolate milkshake, please,”

“One or two?” The waitress asked, that amused glint still in her eyes.

“Just one,” Coulson told her, and she winked at him.

“I’ll bring two straws.”

She walked away and Skye gave Coulson a triumphant look, to which he pursed his lips and looked out of the window. Skye could tell he was trying not to smile though, and they heard Bobbi groan.

“’Undercover operation’ or not, I _do not_ want to watch you two making out.” She warned them.

“Are you kidding?” Skye replied, looking at Coulson. “He would never make out in such a public place as this.” He narrowed his eyes at her, as if it had been a challenge. Maybe it was.

“I think he much prefers _storage rooms_ ,” Coulson looked a bit chagrined by May’s dry tone of voice.

“ _May_ ,” He hissed, and Skye quickly slid her right hand over his thigh, squeezing slightly. His flinch was miniscule as he looked at her in surprise, but she knew that Ward wouldn’t have missed it.

“Just giving a reason for that slightly uncomfortable look on your face,” Skye said lowly, her fingers curling around the inside of his leg.

“If you aren’t careful, my discomfort won’t be so slight,” Coulson warned her, realizing too late the unintentional innuendo. Skye snorted and removed her hand from him, reaching for her glass of water. Bobbi groaned in annoyance again.

“I’m rethinking my decision to be a part of this op.”

“I miss all the fun.” Hunter pouted from his position near Lola, where they had a van set up ready to take Ward back to the base.

“Here you are,” The waitress dropped off their chocolate shake; glass bottle, whipped cream, cherry and all. “You need anything else, just let me know.” As promised, two red straws poked through the whipped cream, and Skye smiled widely at Coulson.

“We have _got_ to get a picture of this,” She insisted, leaning into him as she dug into her pocket for her phone.

“ _Absolutely not_ ,” He protested, watching with some alarm as she opened the camera app and held the phone at arm’s length across the table.

“Come on,”

“ _Skye_ ,”

“Please?” She wasn’t quite pouting at him, but she was making that face, that face she knew he couldn't say no to, and he groaned under his breath.

“I swear to God if I find out you’ve sent this to anyone…” He muttered, sighing in resignation as they tilted their heads together, milkshake between them and the camera.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be our secret,” Skye promised.

“I’ll pay you a hundred bucks right now.” Hunter said into their ears, and Coulson pressed his lips against Skye’s hair to hide his words to the mercenary,

“I know where you sleep at night _and_ your phobias, Lance Hunter.”

“You know what, I actually don’t have a hundred bucks right now, sorry love.” Hunter quickly rescinded his offer, and Skye laughed quietly as she brought her phone closer to look at the picture she took. Coulson looked over her shoulder as she opened it, and made some kind of soft noise in the back of his throat, one she hadn’t quite heard before.

“See, we’re cute,” Skye assured him, tilting the phone toward him so he could see it better, smiling widely as she caught the look on his face. She’d taken the picture when he’d been talking to Hunter, so it looked like he’d been caught giving her a loving kiss. “And the whole diner aesthetic makes it all vintage and perfect, it doesn’t even need a filter.”

“Are you mocking my age, again?” Coulson frowned at her, but when she pecked him on the lips he was smiling again as she pulled away.

“I think I’m mocking the kids _younger_ than us, AC,” Skye replied, putting her phone back in her pocket and reaching for the milkshake.

“You don’t call me that much, anymore,” Coulson mentioned, watching her fondly.

“Well, you’re the Director now,” She pointed out, as if that explained everything. She plucked the cherry up and licked off the whipped cream, then held it out toward him. “Cherry?” She offered, and he blinked at her. “Well, if you don’t want it, then,” She acted as if she was going to bring it back toward her mouth, and he quickly leaned in and bit it off the stem before she could. “Dork,” She pushed at him again, laughing, and he smiled at her as he chewed the fruit.

“How much longer do I have to watch you guys be so sickeningly sweet together? I really hope Ward gives me an excuse to knock him out, because it will be _so_ worth it…” Bobbi muttered.

“Do you know that trick where you tie a knot in the stem without using your hands?” Skye asked thoughtfully as she ignored Bobbi, holding the stem between her fingers, elbow resting on the table between them. “I’ve never understood that trick.”

She really was only trying to continue non-work-related conversation, she hadn’t been challenging Coulson whatsoever, but he took the stem from her and looked at it for a moment, and then popped it into his mouth. Skye stared at him, her mouth open a little in surprise, as she watched him work his jaw for a bit, and then reveal the knotted stem between his teeth.

“You’re shitting me.” Skye exclaimed quietly, taking it from him and checking out the knot in the middle. He grinned and drank some of the milkshake before replying,

“It’s all in the tongue.”

“I am strangely turned on right now.”

“ _No_.” Three voices spoke at the same time in their ears, making Coulson snort quietly and take another drink of the milkshake.

“I think he’s seen far more than enough,” Coulson said, back in mission mode by the time Skye was finishing off the last of the shake. “You know, if I actually cared about other people’s opinions, I might be a little insulted by how disgusted he looks right now.”

“Maybe we should head out, before he _does_ decide to confront us here?” Skye suggested urgently, and Coulson nodded, dropping a ten dollar bill on the table before standing and waiting for Skye to walk ahead of him out of the diner. She didn’t like the idea of putting Coulson’s back toward Ward, but she knew he wouldn’t have approved of the alternative either, so she silently went with it.

“Alrighty, look alive,” Bobbi announced in the comms, watching through the scope of the Night-Night Gun as Skye and Coulson leisurely started making their way back toward Lola.

“I’m in place behind the van. Let me know when he’s in position.” May replied.

“Aaand looks like he bit,” Bobbi confirmed, “I’ve got him following Coulson and Skye, about thirty paces back. … Looks like he’s gaining. Guys, be ready, I think he’s going for confrontation,” Bobbi warned, and Skye’s fingers reflexively tightened around Coulson’s.

“We’re not close enough to the van,” Coulson gritted his teeth. “Hunter, May, be prepared for a grab and run. We’re three blocks from your position.”

“There’s still too many people around. It’s keeping him from shooting at you guys, but I can’t shoot at him either,” Bobbi sounded frustrated.

“Understood. Take the shot only when it’s clear, Agent Morse.” Coulson informed her.

“Skye!” Ward called out, as if he were an old friend. Skye and Coulson glanced at one another warily. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Suddenly people were shouting and running, and Bobbi was saying he had a gun in his hand, but the panicking crowd didn’t all know who they were running from and were continuing to block her shot. Coulson tugged Skye down behind the rear fender of a parked car on the side of the street, and she held her breath as she listened for Ward.

“I was _waiting for you_ , Skye.” Ward knew he was near them; his voice sounded close but not right next to the car. “Did you think you could lure me out with your fake little displays? Get me away from the public so I wouldn’t hurt anyone?” Ward laughed. “Oh, you guys. _I’m_ not the one who’s going to be hurting anyone.”

Skye ducked away too late; hands were grasping at her shoulder and Coulson’s grip didn’t keep her down. She felt her back slam against Ward’s chest and something sharp press into the side of her neck. Coulson had stood as soon as Ward had got a hold of her, his gun drawn, but he didn’t try to move any closer to them.

“Careful, Coulson.” Ward warned, his other arm holding Skye’s awkwardly behind her. She bet she could Quake him away from her, but she wasn’t sure what it was he was holding against her neck. It didn’t feel like the barrel of a gun. “And I wouldn’t try and use your powers against me, Skye. Wouldn’t want me _accidentally_ shooting you with this.”

“Let her go.” Coulson demanded, absolutely still as he kept his Icer trained toward Ward.

“I don’t think so.” Ward replied. “You came and tried to get me, but I knew you would. I was _hoping_ you would send her, and just as I suspected, you did.” Ward smiled at Skye, and she flinched her head away from his. He reaffirmed his grip, her shoulders pulling awkwardly, and she grimaced. “Everything is going according to plan, thanks to you and your _predictability_.” Ward taunted Coulson.

“Bobbi – ” Coulson started, and Ward interrupted him,

“Ah! Pressure switch,” Ward explained, holding up the weapon in his hand momentarily, before placing it against Skye’s neck again. “My finger comes off this trigger, bad things happen.”

“Fuck,” Skye heard Bobbi whisper in the comms.

“So I suggest you get your men to stand down,” Ward glanced around above him, not knowing exactly who or where Coulson’s people were. Skye tried to get her hand around to force his hold away, but he grabbed her fingers tightly and squeezed hard, making her wince. “I will break your fingers if you don’t _listen_ – what’s this?”

Skye swallowed, realizing that he felt the ring on her left hand, and he shifted his hold on her so he could keep her fairly immobilized while forcing her hand up so he could look at it.

“What the hell is this?” He wondered incredulously. He looked at Coulson, more particularly, at Coulson’s left hand cupped underneath the grip of his gun, and opened his mouth in surprise. “Oh this is _perfect_. I sure did miss a lot while I was gone. Or maybe nothing at all; he always was rather _fond_ of you, wasn’t he?” Ward said snidely, and Skye pursed her lips. “Is this real? Are these _actually_ wedding rings?” He asked in interest, which worried Skye even more.

Coulson didn’t say anything, and Ward laughed.

“This is how you got Talbot to let her go, isn’t it? You _married_ her just so he wouldn’t keep her locked up in whatever medical facility he’s keeping them! You’re such a romantic,” Ward mocked, “It’s going to be the death of you.”

“No,” Coulson corrected firmly, “I don’t just sit around thinking about love. I think about rage, I think about hopelessness. I think about death. But, I guess that just proves your point.” He pulled the hammer back of his gun.

“You know,” Ward mused, “this weapon wasn’t originally intended for her. But it’d be really poetic, wouldn’t it?”

Many things happened at once, then. Skye used her powers to push Ward back, ducking away as Coulson fired his Icer. May slid the van to a stop on the street right next to them, and Hunter threw open the sliding door and hopped out. Coulson reached for Skye and helped her to her feet, his hand brushing against her neck urgently as he checked for injury.

“No, no, I’m fine, I’m fine,” Skye insisted. She flexed her fingers a little, checking that Ward hadn’t dislocated any of them, and then helped Hunter carry Ward’s unconscious body to the van.

“Bobbi, get back to the base. We’re clear.” Coulson said into the comms, crouching to pick up the strange looking weapon. Skye shut the door to the van, tapped it twice, and then knelt next to Coulson as May sped off.

“What is it?” She asked. “Some sort of syringe?”

“Looks like it, doesn’t it?” Coulson mused, looking around on the sidewalk near them. “See anything on the ground looks like it could come from this?”

“No…” Skye frowned. “Did he lie about the dead man’s switch?”

“No,” Coulson thumbed the switch lightly, showing her how it worked. “It fired. Maybe he shot himself with it.”

“Coulson…” Skye chided gently, not used to such a dark tone coming from him. She didn’t like Ward either, but that didn’t mean she wished him dead… okay, well, completely dead. “Whatever that thing was… he made it sound like it could cause some serious damage.”

“I’ll get a tech team out here to tape off the area and search. Whatever it was that was in it has to be somewhere around here.” Coulson sighed heavily as he stood straight. Skye followed suit, rolling her shoulders a little. “Are you okay?” Coulson asked with concern as he tucked the weapon into his suit jacket. “I saw him holding you and I just… I really wanted to kill him.” Coulson admitted.

“I’m fine,” Skye promised, “He was just none too gentle.”

“I keep giving him second chances and he keeps abusing them,” Coulson growled, leading the way determinedly toward Lola. “He’s not hurting anyone ever again, I can promise you that.”

“Coulson,” Skye said carefully, “don’t fall to his level,”

“I’m _not_ ,” Coulson stopped and turned to face her. “but I am also not keeping him in the Playground. Skye, I did that to you once before, and I am _not_ putting you through that again. Not you, not Fitz, or Simmons, or Bobbi…we’re not keeping a monster in the basement.”

“There are other impenetrable places to hold people, Coulson,” Skye gently reminded him, and he scowled.

“What, putting him in the exact place he _wants_ to be?”

“Jesus, Coulson, you really _do_ stop thinking clearly when I’m involved in something,”

“What do you _expect_ , _you’re my_ – ” He cut himself off, and scowled again.

“Why don’t we have a chat with our friends in the Company?” Skye suggested, and Coulson blinked, and then rubbed his hand across his face.

“Right. Yes. Okay,” He stumbled slightly, and then looked at Skye suddenly, concerned. She realized the ground beneath them was shaking slightly, and her eyes widened.

“I don’t… Coulson, that’s not me,” She insisted, looking around them. But it _was_ her, she could feel it emanating from inside of her.

“Skye, just relax, it’s okay.” Coulson was suddenly the calm one, his Icer put away so he could rest his hands on Skye’s upper arms.

“ _Coulson_ ,” Skye insisted, feeling herself start to panic slightly. The car next to them shifted, sliding a little across the pavement, the quaking getting stronger. “I can’t stop it! You need to knock me out!”

“Skye, you _can_ , you can control this,”

“This isn’t about me knowing my own control, Coulson,” Skye hissed, “shoot me with the damn Icer _right now_.” A nearby lamppost bulb shattered, and people farther up the street who hadn’t heard the commotion with Ward started freaking out a little as they felt the earthquake. “ _Coulson_!” Skye yelled, just as the sidewalk split open and cracked upward, and Coulson jumped, muttering obscenities under his breath as he pulled out his Icer again.

The last thing she saw was the apologetic look on his face as he squeezed the trigger, and then for just a moment her body felt like her own again, before she completely passed out.

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


“We can’t find anything wrong. There’s nothing different about her that wasn’t already… different.” Simmons informed them. “Perhaps it was just the close call with Ward, that can be very taxing on one’s emotions, trust me, I know…”

“It was more than that, though, Simmons.” Skye insisted, and Coulson sat on the edge of the seat next to her hospital bed, anxious. He trusted Skye to know her own body, at this point, and she hadn’t lost control of her powers in quite a while. “This was like right after San Juan, when things were happening around me and I had no idea what was going on or how. I felt everything that was happening, Simmons. It was _like_ I was controlling it. Except I _wasn’t_. I had no control over my own body. It was like I was playing backseat to something else.”

“Perhaps… this is some sort of evolution of Inhuman biology? You’re powers are just growing, and you weren’t prepared to handle it?” Simmons guessed, but Skye only continued frowning.

“Like you felt _pushed_ to do it,” Coulson whispered, and both Simmons and Skye looked at him. “Like a puppet.” He looked at Skye with understanding, and her expression softened.

“I’m so sorry,” She murmured, placing her hand on his cheek, “I’m so sorry. This is exactly how it felt with the carving, isn’t it?” Here she was going through this uncontrollable thing, and she felt sorry for _him_ for something he wasn’t even dealing with anymore? He covered her hand with his own, pressing his cheek a little more firmly against her palm.

“I’ll go see if Fitz has discovered anything about that weapon you brought in,” Simmons announced respectfully, leaving the medbay pod to give them some privacy. Skye had insisted a while ago that should she ever need to spend the night in the medical facility, to always lock her up in here, just in case she accidentally lashed out with her powers. Coulson didn’t like it much, but he understood her reservations, and respected her decision. Times like this, though, made him think it was only making her more paranoid about herself.

“He’s in Vault D right now. Awaiting pickup from our friends in the CIA.” Coulson informed her quietly, and that seemed to help her relax immensely.

“Have the techs found anything from that weapon, yet?” Skye asked, and Coulson shook his head, the bad feeling in his stomach only growing stronger. He worried that it could have been something airborne, though that didn’t entirely add up with him pressing it against Skye’s neck…

He reached forward and brushed his free hand through her hair, touching his thumb against the skin of her neck. Still no sign of injury, and he sighed.

He saw Skye’s look of horror before he felt anything.

“What’s wrong?” He frowned, pulling his hand from her neck. He squeezed his fingers around her hand against his cheek a little more firmly, concerned, and she opened her mouth but nothing came out. “Sk- ” He stopped, rotating his jaw against the sudden sharp pain behind his eyes. Now was not the time for a migraine. “Skye,” He tried again, and then couldn't help but scrunch his face up in pain.

He realized his fingers were gripping Skye’s hand too tightly, and he loosened his hold, only to have her wrench her hand away from him as she leaned back. He tried to get to his feet, intending to ask Simmons for some ibuprofen, but stumbled and caught himself on the edge of the bed. What the hell kind of migraine… he looked up toward Skye, and the expression on her face almost hurt worse than his head. _Horrified_ was not an apt description for it, and she leaned away from him further, as if putting space between them would stop whatever it was that was happening.

He opened his mouth to try and say her name again, but then his knees give out and he’s curled on the floor by the hospital bed, his hands against either side of his head. She’s crying, and he wants to comfort her, but his head hurts too much, he’s afraid to even open his eyes.

“Stop, stop, stop,” She keeps saying, and he’s in complete agreement, but his throat isn’t working right, and then she’s _screaming_ , screaming in a way he never wants to hear from her ever again, in a way that pierces behind his ears and makes him feel like needles are stabbing into his brain.

Boots rush into the room, the pounding sound echoing across his skull like sledgehammers.

“Mack! Mack!”

“What is it, Tremors?” Mack asked urgently, and Coulson was vaguely aware of him dropping to the floor next to him, hands on his body trying to get him onto his back. “Coulson, Coulson. Skye, what’s wrong?” Coulson whimpered and turned away again, trying to use his hands to shut out the noise.

“Shoot me Mack! Shoot me!”

Dammit, why was that always her first solution?

“Calm down, Skye, you just need to calm down,” Mack half turns toward her, and if Coulson wasn’t in so much pain he could have detected the nervousness in the man’s voice. As it was, he managed to get his hand on the holster still attached to his belt, and loosened his Icer.

“Mack dammit if you don’t fucking shoot me right now I’ll bring this whole fucking base down on our heads you fucking coward – ”

Mack rested a hand on Coulson’s chest, apologizing, pulling the Icer and firing it at Skye without further hesitation.

“No need to be rude about it.” He muttered.

“What’s going on?” May demanded, and Coulson sort of saw Simmons in his peripheral vision, or what was left of his peripheral vision, as she rushed to Skye’s bedside.

“Skye, she was begging me to knock her out, something’s wrong with Coulson, she was panicking and she kept asking me to…” Mack swallowed shakily, dropping the Icer to the seat Coulson had vacated.

Hands were on his body again and he whimpered, his head hurt so bad, he couldn't help it. He just wanted silence. Just for once, complete silence. Everything hurt.

He must have blacked out, because the next thing he knew he was flat on his back, and Simmons was shining a penlight in his eye.

He yelled and pushed her away, wrapping his arms protectively around his head, mumbling incoherently and feeling the tears on his face. He just wanted to get away from all the lights and all the noise. He choked, starting to hurl, and feels May help him roll onto his side as he throws up onto the floor. When he rolls away from the mess, groaning, he briefly sees the look of concern on May’s face before he has to close his eyes again.

Finally, finally, things start to fade away, and he doesn’t feel the pain anymore.

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


When he comes to, he’s in a hospital bed with wires attached to his arm, hand, and chest.

“Skye,” He called out deliriously, his throat raw as if he’s been screaming for hours, and maybe he has been. Simmons is there, her hand cool and careful against his arm.

“They came to get Ward while you were still unconscious. Agent May took care of it.” She informed him, speaking very slowly and succinctly. She then said, even more carefully, “We have Skye in Vault D right now,”

“No,” Coulson felt himself getting agitated immediately, his heart rate jumping according to the monitor beeping next to him, “ _no_ , get her out of there, _get her out of there_ ,”

“Director Coulson, she’s unstable, your condition is still critical, and we had to put her unconscious so she wouldn’t bring the entire base down.” Simmons informed him, firmly but consolingly, trying to calm him down, but it only had the opposite effect.

“It’s not her fault!” He started to pull at the needle in the back of his right hand, and Simmons called out for May when she couldn't hold him down. “It’s not her fault, she’s being controlled! Scan her! Ward stabbed her with something, you need to scan her – ”

“ _Phil, calm the fuck down_.” May ordered loudly, surprising him into silence for a second.

But Skye was in the Vault, and she didn’t deserve to be in there, ever, never again, not after everything she’s been through already. He yanked at the cord again, succeeding in pulling it out, and tried to sit up. May put her hands on his shoulders and forced him back down onto the bed, and he was surprised to find he didn’t have the strength to push her off.

“She doesn’t belong in there! She doesn’t belong in there!” The monitors around him started beeping again, insistent, only making him more irate, and he caught the look May gave to Simmons. “No,” He turned his head to see Simmons injecting something into the IV bag, still attached to the inside of his elbow. He couldn't get it off with May holding him down, and he struggled against her. “No, no, no,”

Simmons and May looked at one another warily as Coulson’s body finally relaxed, and watched as the blue tone that had started to creep up his neck and along his jaw faded back away to his normal skin tone.

“Did you see his eyes…” Simmons asked very quietly, staring at Coulson as if she half expected him to jerk awake again. May looked up at the doctor silently, lips thinned into a straight line, and then disappeared toward the Vault.

 

 

**< ><><> **  
  


“You know, we don’t normally allow visitors, but I think we’ll make this a very special circumstance.” The guard was smiling pleasantly, standing on the other side of the clear wall and making Ward slightly suspicious. Not too much so, because even if he was stuck in this place indefinitely, he was confident that his plan had succeeded.

He hadn’t been lying when he had told Coulson that the weapon hadn’t been intended for Skye – he’d wanted to find the new location of The Fridge, and give it to one of the _really crazy_ ones – but using Skye had been so poetic, in the end. It was perfect that after everything, _she_ would be the one to bring about the largest war in the history of the world. And maybe while he was stuck in here, he would survive it, and then become the new _true_ head of Hydra… in charge of _everything_ , not have to listen to _anyone_ else’s orders…

Ward’s smile slowly dropped as the owner of the approaching footsteps entered his line of sight. The man slowly eased himself into the metal chair across from the cell, as if his joints no longer worked as smoothly as they used to. Ward stared in shocked silence, for just a moment, and then he relaxed.

“Nice trick,” He called out to the guards, whom he knew were always watching, twenty-four-seven, through the cameras that faced every single inch of this place. “But you’re wasting your time.”

“Not a trick.” Coulson assured him, smiling carefully, and Ward narrowed his eyes.

“An LMD, then?” Ward scoffed. “Ridiculous. I _know_ Agent Coulson is dead. I heard it called even before I left the Playground and was brought here.”

“Yes, killed by one of his own agents, a super powered human gone rogue, right?” Coulson checked, and then said, “Except she was actually being controlled, by the microchip that had been implanted in her arm when you stabbed her.” Coulson smiled again at Ward’s frustrated expression. “They scanned her and found the chip, and removed it. It had been a close call, I’ll admit…” Coulson stopped talking, staring off into space for a moment. Ward smirked.

“You’re getting old, Coulson.”

“I talk a little slower now, don’t I?” Coulson offered. “And the pauses between my thoughts.” Ward nodded, leaning back against the wall, crossing his ankles in front of him. “That’s what happens when you have your brain scrambled a bit. But it’s okay, I haven’t lost anything. It’s all still there, sharp as a tack.” Coulson tapped the side of his head, and a look of realization crossed Ward’s face as he finally accepted this wasn’t a trick or an LMD.

“But… but they _said_ , I _heard_ them, there’s _no way_ May could fake that face I saw,” Ward started to sound a little agitated, no longer sure. Coulson smiled again, and carefully got to his feet.

“My slow movements and my paused speech may seem to you like the traits of an old man, but I’d like to think of them as…” Coulson trailed off and stepped closer to the cell to whisper, “restrained power.”

Coulson knew Ward saw the change in his eyes, because he shot to his feet and backed up against the wall, his own eyes wide in shock. Coulson chuckled and stepped back, straightened his tie, and then walked away.

“Hey – hey! _Hey_ , you can’t let him out of here, he’s _one of them_! He’s one of them!” Ward’s shouts followed Coulson down the hall, all the way until the heavy doors close behind him and shut out Ward’s voice entirely.

Talbot stood there waiting for him, his shoulder propped against the wall and his arms folded across his chest. He had a dry smirk on his face.

“You just couldn't help yourself, could you?” Talbot asked, shaking his head, and Coulson shrugged innocently. Talbot led him back through the security gates to head outside, and the screens facing the guards lit up like fireworks as Coulson passed through the scanner, but no one stopped him. They already have been debriefed about the Director of SHIELD, ordered into silence. He was a special circumstance and not to be discussed, with anyone, ever.

When he and Talbot approached the SUV, Skye was standing outside of it, leaning against the back passenger door.

“So, did you thank him for his hand in loosening the bolts enough for you to figure things out?” Skye asked, twirling her finger around her ear.

“I figure he’s learned enough for one day, today.” Coulson replied, smiling at her and leaning in to kiss her cheek.

Talbot rolled his eyes and waved at them, turning to go back into the building. Skye climbed into the backseat next to Coulson, and May, who was driving, turned around to give them a bit of a glare.

“I swear to _God_ I do not care if the both of you are superheroes – if you start making out while I’m driving I will kick your asses out of the car.” She turned back around and started the engine, and Coulson and Skye grinned at one another.


End file.
